Group of Miami-Dade Democrats accuse local chairman of mismanaging party funds
A group of Miami-Dade Democrats have called on local committee chairman Robert Dempster to resign due to alleged mismanagement of campaign funds and poor leadership.
Ten current and former high-ranking Democrats signed a letter to Florida Democratic Party Chairman Manny Diaz, a former Miami mayor, claiming that local party leaders have violated campaign finance laws by misreporting the committee’s political spending. Dempster is also accused of breaking party rules by failing to finish annual audits.
The ten signatories to the letter include Cindy Lerner, former Pinecrest mayor and statewide committeewoman representing Miami-Dade; Juan Cuba, former Miami-Dade Democratic chairman, former state lawmaker Robert Asencio and Eleazar Melendez, chair of the Miami-Dade Hispanic Caucus.
The letter also states that experienced members of the party have been “shut out,” leading to inexperience leadership that could damage Democrats’ influence in upcoming local races.
“As longtime DEC members, we are appalled by this level of amateurishness in campaign reporting but not surprised as it is indicative of the type of operation being run, or lack thereof,” reads the letter, sent on Thursday to Diaz. “Despite our DEC having a strong track record of winning local and state elections, we have not won a single race under Chair Dempster.”
The letter suggests dissent and disarray among members of the local Democratic Party, which has struggled in recent elections. The named signatories represent a fraction of the 257 members of the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee.
In a statement, Dempster said there are good-faith efforts being made to correct any bookkeeping errors, and he characterized the group as malcontents who should instead be focused on registering more voters and helping Democrats get elected.
“This is a sad effort by a small group of Democrats, some of whom had been so disengaged from the party that they actually had to reapply from membership, who are upset about their personal defeats in local party elections,” said Dempster, who’s been chairman since August 2021.
Diaz did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to the letter, Dempster has said there is an audit underway, but the group cites a “pattern of obfuscation” while demanding an independent audit be done by no later than Jan. 20. If not, the 10 Democrats wrote they would take the issue to the Miami-Dade County Inspector General and the Florida Elections Commission.
Among the issues identified in the letter: An oddly timed contribution to the campaign account for Quinn Smith, a lawyer who in 2021 ran for the District 3 seat on the Miami City Commission. Quinn, who has represented members of Venezuela’s socialist government, lost to incumbent Commissioner Joe Carollo by a wide margin in November 2021. But campaign reports show Miami-Dade Democrats gave him $2,275 in January 2021, two months after he lost.
“Our sincere hope is that there was no illegal campaign activity during his tenure, but if this audit finds wrongdoing, we demand you to take immediate action in suspending and removing Robert Dempster as DEC Chair,” reads the letter.
This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 8:17 AM.
